Thinking of
selling your business? Most business sellers are unsure of how the business sale process works.

12 Steps to Selling
Your Business

1. Give us a call or send us an email. For some, this can be the toughest step of
all. We know that making the decision to sell your business is not
easy. As a business owner you have surely become attached to your
business, both financially and emotionally. People make the
decision to sell their businesses for a variety of reasons, the
most common of which are retirement, starting a new venture,
health problems, partner issues and family concerns.
Whatever your reasons are, we
respect how difficult it can be to take this very important step.

2. After we have communicated, we'll set up a discreet and confidential meeting if you think that your company and our services may be a good
match. We usually hold this meeting at either your business so you
can show us around or we meet at
our office in Sudbury, MA. We'll get to know each other better at
this meeting. We understand that you need to feel comfortable
with us. This will give you an opportunity to learn more about us and
to discuss the business sales process. It is also a way for us to learn more about your business and you.
Every business is different and no business is perfect. We'll use
this time to begin strategizing about what we need to do to really
maximize the sale value of your company.

3. We'll discuss a preliminary valuation of
your business, (if we haven't done so already), at the first meeting. We'd
also like to get
an idea of what you think your business is worth. We can give you some feedback about what
we think about the current market for your business. Who are the buyers?
What skills will they need? How will they pay for the business?
What can you expect down the road? We'll answer these questions
and more!

4. Feel free to ask us questions at this first meeting.
Nothing is off limits. There are no secrets. The more you know, the better we can work together.
You should always feel
that you can communicate with us about anything that is of concern
to you.

5. We will construct our own financial
analysis of your business. Keep in mind that your accountant prepares your tax returns
with the goal of showing as little profit as possible in
order to reduce your taxes. We do the exact opposite and reconstruct your tax return or profit and loss
statement to show the TRUE profit your business makes! If
you don't
toot your own horn, no one will do it for you! Its up to us to
find out what is great about your business and make sure that prospective
buyers will learn about it.

6. We'll create a solid marketing piece for your business
that will describe how your business works and what is truly GREAT
about it. By now we have learned a lot about your business so
we can get started on this right away. The marketing piece that we
design will really need to INSPIRE buyers to want to take the next steps
in pursuing the purchase of your business. Your business needs to stand
out from the others that the buyer is considering. You will help us
in this process by supplying valuable information about the various
aspects of you business.

7. We'll begin advertising your business VERY CONFIDENTIALLY. All buyers will be required to sign our
confidentiality agreement. We will also qualify the buyers in
order to get
a feel for their financial ability to purchase your business. Only
serious and qualified buyers will ever learn that
your business is for sale. Maintaining the confidentiality of your business
sale is our TOP PRIORITY.

8. We'll also market your business to our database of
4000
business buyers in the Massachusetts area. These are REAL
buyers that we have communicated with in the past. (They
aren't from a purchased list.) We know many of these buyers
personally. The database includes buyers for every type and size
of business. This is a great way to attract simultaneous interest
in your business.
9. Set up Meetings with the Best Buyers. As we begin working with
the most suitable buyers for your business, we'll most likely set up
meetings so they can meet you and ask you questions about your business.
These meetings are always discreetly planned so that your employees never
find out you are selling your business. We frequently meet after hours or
off-site if there isn't a convenient way for us to talk during regular
hours at your business. We are always present at these meetings because we
want to make sure that the meeting is run effectively and
productively.

10. The offers for your business will start coming in. If
we've done a good job of pricing, describing, and marketing your
business, there will be interested buyers. As the
buyers contact us we send them a confidentiality agreement and
buyer registration form if we don't have one on file already. We
also speak with them at length to get a feel for what they are
looking for and to make sure that your business is a good match
for them.

11. We will assist you in negotiating with your buyers. We
are your agent and we work for you. We'll help you negotiate a
deal that really works for you. Using an intermediary
ALWAYS helps you negotiate a better deal for your business.

12. We work with the attorneys and accountants, put out the
fires and do what is necessary to make sure the deal closes.
We work on a success fee basis, so you can be sure that we will be
highly committed to a successful conclusion of your sale.

Still have questions? Call us today and we'll chat!

Note: All your company information will be handled discreetly and responsibly and we are happy to sign a confidentiality agreement with you. Please inquire about this in your first communication with us.